Accident Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000 VH-EWH, Saturday 27 May 1989

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Date:	Saturday 27 May 1989
Time:	11:45
Type:	Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000
Owner/operator:	East-West Airlines
Registration:	VH-EWH
MSN:	11186
Year of manufacture:	1982
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 23
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	None
Category:	Accident
Location:	220 km S of Mackay, QLD - Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Mackay, QLD
Destination airport:	Brisbane, QLD
Investigating agency:	BASI
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Shortly after reaching FL310, the aircraft encountered a severe downdraft. The seat-belt sign had been on since departure. however, one pax was thrown into the overhead panel and fell back onto the seat arm rest receiving 5 broken ribs.
No fault was found with the seat-belt or its buckle. The reason the pax was not strapped in could not be established. Although the aircraft was in cloud, no weather radar returns had been received. Severe turbulence had been forecast for the area.

The aircraft encountered severe turbulence which had been forecast; it could not be determined why a pax seat-belt was not secured; the pax was thrown from her seat and was injured

Accident investigation: